Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
The Israeli Walla! website: We are running out of stockpiles, our forces are exhausted, and the lives of the captives are in danger. It is time for a ceasefire deal in Gaza.
Several wounded in an Israeli bombardment of a tent in al-Mawasi, south of Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli media: Three wounded, three killed in an ongoing operation in the Gaza Strip.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in southern Lebanon: Israeli artillery shelling targets the outskirts of the town of Shebaa
Al-Qassam Brigades: The targeting took place at the intersection of 'Street 5' with the western line north of Khan Younis
Al-Qassam Brigades: A NIMR armored personnel carrier carrying an Israeli soldier was targeted with an Al-Yassin missile north of Khan Younis
Israeli media: At least two soldiers killed by anti-tank missile fired at Israeli army forces in the Gaza Strip
Local Syrian sources: Mortar shells fell on more than nine villages in the Sweida countryside
Local Syrian sources: Dozens of dead and wounded have arrived at Sweida hospitals as a result of ongoing clashes at several locations in the western Sweida countryside
Local sources: Civilians, including children and women, were injured in the al-Maqous neighborhood of Sweida, in Syria, as a result of ongoing clashes

Humanitarian aid crisis hits West Bank amid Israeli restrictions: WaPo

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: The Washington Post
  • 31 Mar 2025 16:05
  • 2 Shares
5 Min Read

"Israel’s" military aggression in Jenin and Tulkarm has displaced more than 40,000 people, demolished hundreds of homes, and left aid groups struggling to provide relief.

Listen
  • x
  • Humanitarian aid crisis in West Bank amid Israeli restrictions: WashPoResidents of the West Bank urban refugee camp of Nur Shams evacuate their homes and carry their belongings as the Israeli military continues its operation in the area, on Wednesday, March 5, 2025 (AP)

A prolonged Israeli aggression has forcibly displaced tens of thousands of Palestinians in the northern occupied West Bank, with local authorities warning that the crisis shows no signs of easing as humanitarian organizations, hindered by Israeli restrictions and funding shortages, struggle to provide assistance, The Washington Post reported.

"Israel" unleashed its war machine on the West Bank in January, deploying troops, tanks, and armored bulldozers under the pretext of "combating terrorism". The offensive began in the Jenin refugee camp, where Israeli forces tore up roads, demolished homes, and barred residents from returning.

Largest displacement since 1967 occupation

According to the United Nations, the operation has forcibly displaced over 40,000 people from refugee camps and surrounding communities in Jenin and Tulkarm. Israeli occupation forces have since demolished or inflicted severe damage on hundreds of homes and residential buildings, as reported by the UN, local authorities, video footage, and eyewitness testimonies.

The scale of displacement is unprecedented since "Israel’s" occupation of the West Bank began in 1967, highlighted Roland Friedrich, director of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) in the region.

He noted that roughly one-third of Palestinians in the West Bank—around 900,000 people—are officially registered as refugees, their families having fled or been displaced from their homes during the 1948 war that led to the establishment of the Israeli occupation entity.

The report mentioned that local authorities, supported by donors and international organizations, have placed thousands of the most vulnerable residents in temporary shelters and provided emergency aid. However, Israeli-imposed restrictions, ongoing security risks, and funding shortages are severely limiting their ability to deliver humanitarian assistance. Financial support for shelters is also running dangerously low.

“This is considered an abnormal crisis,” indicated Mohammad Sabbagh, head of the Popular Services Committee in Jenin camp. “This is a new catastrophe for Jenin camp.”

In separate incidents, two women were shot in the legs while attempting to enter the camp, according to Mahmoud al-Saadi, director of the Palestine Red Crescent Society in Jenin.

Palestinian authorities overwhelmed

Related News

Israeli assault on West Bank continues, leaving over 40,000 displaced

Israeli forces escalate raids in Tulkarm, al-Khalil, Beit Lahm

The Post noted that many displaced residents have avoided taking the risk of returning. Instead, they are surviving on aid, primarily provided by local institutions and donors. The Jenin camp, one of the West Bank’s poorest areas, already suffered from high unemployment and widespread poverty before the latest escalation, according to local officials.

Meanwhile, municipalities and the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah face severe financial constraints that leave them ill-equipped to handle the emergency.

“What’s happening now, it’s beyond our capabilities,” expressed Jenin Mayor Mohammad Jarrar.

The Popular Services Committee and the US-based nonprofit World Central Kitchen distribute approximately 9,000 meals daily, according to Sabbagh. However, this only reaches less than half of those displaced, who are scattered throughout Jenin and its surrounding rural areas.

With funds raised from civil society and its emergency budget, the committee has rented vacant dormitories at the nearby Arab American University to shelter 450 of the most vulnerable families, at a cost of up to $40,000 per month, the report mentioned.

However, the university shelter is now at full capacity, and financial resources are dwindling. Donations from local business leaders will cover dormitory rent for some families until June, but for others, funding could run out within days, Jarrar said. Families currently housed at a center for the blind will soon be forced to leave, he added.

Without urgent intervention, Sabbagh fears, “maybe those people will end up in the streets.”

UNRWA struggles amid Israeli restrictions

UNRWA, which has provided aid to Palestinian refugees since its establishment in 1949, is usually the primary humanitarian responder for displaced Palestinians. The agency has issued emergency cash assistance to thousands of affected families, set up psychological support hotlines, and opened mobile clinics and emergency health centers for those previously dependent on UNRWA’s services in the camps.

However, new Israeli laws are increasingly obstructing its operations. One law prohibits Israeli officials from communicating with UNRWA staff, making it difficult to engage with the military when soldiers raid the agency’s facilities in the West Bank, Friedrich explained. Additionally, UNRWA personnel have faced harassment by Israeli soldiers at checkpoints.

Beyond financial constraints, humanitarian organizations must navigate severe access restrictions due to a growing number of Israeli checkpoints and roadblocks, confrontations with soldiers and settlers, and safety concerns related to military operations that have damaged humanitarian infrastructure, according to aid workers and a February report from a coalition of NGOs.

Since the aggression began, Israeli forces have demolished 200 residential buildings in the Jenin refugee camp, according to Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, which cited security sources.

This month, Israeli authorities issued demolition orders for approximately 90 additional buildings, a move Jarrar warned would leave 300 more families homeless. It is noteworthy that Israeli Security Minister Yoav Gallant stated in February that Israeli troops may remain in the refugee camps for up to a year.

Read more: MSF warns of dire conditions for displaced Palestinians in West Bank

  • Tulkarm
  • Palestine
  • Israeli aggression
  • Israel
  • Jenin
  • West Bank
  • Israeli occupation

Most Read

Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Major ambush in Gaza kills 6 Israeli troops, injures dozens

Major ambush in Gaza kills 5 Israeli troops, injures 14

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Israeli soldiers are seen in Beit Hanoun ahead of an operation by the al-Qassam Brigades, undated (Al-Qassam Brigades Military Media)

'Israel' on blast as media exposes report discrepancies in Gaza ambush

  • Palestine
  • 8 Jul 2025
Yemen Navy sinks ETERNITY C ship, shares footage of operation

Yemen Navy sinks ETERNITY C ship, shares footage of operation

  • Politics
  • 9 Jul 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
The Freedom Flotilla ship Handala as it departs for Gaza, where it aims to break the maritime blockade at a port in Syracuse, Sicily in southern Italy on July 13, 2025. (AFP)
Palestine

Freedom Flotilla's Handala departs Sicily in bid to break Gaza siege

The container ship CMA CGM Laperouse, left, docks at the Georgia Ports Authority's Port of Savannah, Sept. 29, 2021, in Savannah, Ga (AP)
Politics

US shipbuilding woes deepen as tariffs, outdated policies backfire

Gaza war raises ethical questions for ex-Obama, Biden officials
Politics

Mercenary firm tied to Gaza war crimes hires Obama-Biden PR operatives

'Israel' targets children in Gaza collecting water
Palestine

'Israel' strikes Gaza kids fetching water, blames it on 'malfunction'

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS